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A new UK National Security Strategy (NSS) will be published by the National Security Council following the General Election in Spring 2015. The NSS sets out a ‘whole of government’ strategy to uphold national security by reviewing the UK’s security and defence capabilities, identifying threats, and establishing priority areas for response.

This 6-page policy brief summarises the findings of Accord 25 - Legitimacy and peace processes: from coercion to consent. It argues that a legitimacy lens should be applied to peace processes by paying attention to priorities of context, consent and change.

Governance that fails to respond to people’s needs or is detrimental to social cohesion can be both a root cause and a consequence of conflict. This report shares lessons learned from a five-year project increasing government accountability in conflict zones through public participation in policymaking, which took place in four conflict areas where governance issues are key factors in the persistence of instability and conflict.

Legitimacy in peace processes includes participation – so people have a voice; representation – so people's concerns are heard; and performance – so people see results. Legitimacy is vital to the support of a peace process, and can help make peace stick.
To explore how legitimacy can help build sustainable peace, Conciliation Resources brought together 38 practitioners, policymakers and stakeholders from a diversity of backgrounds for a two-day reflection.

This is Conciliation Resources' fifth and final annual report for the Department for International Development's Global and Transparency Fund. The report covers the period 1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 and relates to Conciliation Resources' work to increase government accountability in conflict zones through public participation in policymaking. The regions the project focuses on are West Africa, Uganda/South Sudan, the Georgian–Abkhaz conflict region, and Fiji.

The long-standing and intractable issue of Kashmir between Pakistan and India is of great importance for the young people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The costs of this deep-rooted conflict have become increasingly difficult for Pakistan and India, and for the people of the erstwhile state of Kashmir in particular.

At a time when young people worldwide are recognised for taking the lead in changing their societies, this participatory research is aimed at finding the perception and level of awareness of Kashmiri youth about their rights and duties. It also examines the social and political change they want to see, and what they need to effect this change in Kashmir.